Hellobee Boards

I worry a ton!!! And yes, it's hard reading / hearing others brag about how 'advanced' their LOs are or what they've achieved that your LO hasn't yet. It comes with being part of a parenting forum though!

For me, I just celebrate all of the little steps my LO accomplishes in order to meet that bigger milestone. For example, he doesn't crawl but he's starting to push backwards and he actually army crawled a few inches the other day. I know those little things are big progress for him.

I worry too but I agree that I focus on the smaller steps that lead to a bigger goal. I also try to focus on what she can do and try to think back to how far she's come since a month or two ago.

Another thing that always helps is her face when she reaches a new milestone and accomplishes something new. She always has the biggest smile and looks so proud of herself.

I stopped reading the books. I got too hung up on the "whens" so I just started working on him with whatever skill he seemed ready for next.

For example, he had mastered the Army crawl, then started to pull himself up to stand before attempting the real crawl. So I worked with him on lining up toys of baby puffs to crawl after. He did the real crawl when he was ready.

@pastempoo: wow, i feel like i could of wrote this post! even when i see milestones post of hellobee, icant help but compare and then i feel bad like im judging my little one. what i do is read what he should be doing nd try to help him and then stop reading. so i know where he should be at in geranl terms but dont stress about it.... (ha im trying to get better with it!) BUT he's his own person, if he is intrersted in doing it, he will. llike rolling he's done it twice, he just doesnt care about doing it at all, but the boy will make me stnad him up a 10000 times a day. and i think ok so ive never heard of a baby not walking (insert other activity) bc they didnt roll, etc.....babies have amind of thier own and are so unique it really even baffles me that we have milestones for them to reach at a certain age when babies are so different.(and how we stress about them!, and trust me it weighs on my mind alot!) .

daisy has a good point....you only really hear about other babies' milestones when they're hitting them early, not when they are late. So it kind of skews perceptions, making it seem like every baby hits them early (since moms don't "brag" about their late sitter/crawler/talker).

Hugs, girl. Xoxo

@brownie: haha I love your perspective!!!

It's especially hard when your two kids are so different with respect to milestones... I'm just trying to appreciate the things that M does. And she's doing things in a different order (no better or worse, just different).

I guess as long as she's happy and not frustrated and not so far behind that she needs speech therapy, then I'm ok. Not helpful, I know!

This is a huge issue for me too! With my job, I know when babies "should start to do things" and I tend to get anxious about them. I find that hubs keeps me in check. We talked about it while I was pregnant and he promised to help me. So at 6 weeks when DD hadn't smiled yet and I was freaking out, he calmed me down and sure enough she smiled by 7 weeks this is a toughie, im right there with you though **hugs***

@mrsjacks: I'm sure that is really hard having two kids to compare! Kids do things so differently it's amazing!

I think about how convenient the non-milestone is for me. (For example, knowing that LO will be exactly where I put him when I come back, or letting him nap on a bed when we're out visiting since he can't roll over!)

But if you are honestly a little concerned you could see a special baby OT who could teach you some ways to help him along. A couple of my real-life friends have done this.

@pastemoo: bah! I forgot our differences in system...Here in Ontario, Canada there is a place where we can take our babies/young children to be seen for free. Wish you had a place like this too: http://www.onekidsplace.ca/english/home.html

@pastemoo: Lily is a big bubba too, and I feel like people think the same, that she should be doing more because she looks so much older!
And just following up off of @cvbee I'm not sure about every state, but I know in PA there are free services regardless of income level that come to your home for children 0-3. In PA it is called Early Intervention. But, I would start with your pediatrician if you have any concerns. I work in PA's system for 0-3 as an occupational therapist, and honestly even if you just want peace of mind and some tips, an evaluation doesn't hurt! Honestly though I think us mommies put so much pressure on ourselves to teach our little ones, but babies are so different! They do things in their own good time, and make us worry, but most of the time it's ok! I have had many kids that I've seen that I started services with, and before I even got to work with them they hit the milestone that I was there to work on! Babies have so much they are working on within their first year of life, it's really amazing to think about, I wouldn't want anyone to rush me on learning so much in such a small amount of time! If you have any Other questions or just want to talk feel free to PM me

@pastemoo: hopefully not! We make a conscious effort to never compare out loud. Each little one is a unique individual... Now what goes on deep inside your head... Well, we can't help that, right?!

Yeah, I think a lot of these feelings are driving by the fact that no one goes on and on about their baby being late at anything. My baby, for example, is a SUPER early talker. I'm always talking about it to family and facebook because it's so cute and fun and I just love it and feel so lucky to have her.

But walking? At 13 months, she's not even interested. She barely crawled until 12 months, so I expect her to be on the late end of normal for walking. But I don't go on about that, so you'd just think I had this really brag worthy baby. When instead, she's just fast in some things, slow in others, just like most.

My son has a speech delay which we're dealing with right now. So we're constantly evaluating his milestones, as well as my 3 month old daughter's milestones. I used to not really care or monitor them much, but looking back I wish I did. Maybe i could have caught my son's speech delay sooner.

Yeah, I hear you on worrying about LO hitting milestones; it's so hard not to compare to other babies! Our 4 month old is nowhere near pushing herself up on tummy time but it seems like all I see are pictures of babies much younger than her pushing themselves up with their arms and staying there for a while. I also know other babies her age are sitting unassisted briefly or doing the tripod sitting, but again, we're nowhere near that. DD is doing really well with the communication milestones though and has been hitting all of them quite early.

I just remind myself that all babies eventually learn to sit up, roll, walk, etc, so if she doesn't do it now, it's not a big deal. I also like to believe the old adage that says babies are either walkers or talkers.

It's so hard not to worry and/or compare though. I really like what a PP (I think it was Cocobee) said about just enjoying them whilst they're still little and immobile as this only lasts for such a short time! Way to put it in perspective!